Everybody loves a good kitchen shortcut; like using store-bought cinnamon rolls. They taste delicious and are ready in a matter of minutes. But what if you could make more than cinnamon rolls from that can of, well, cinnamon rolls? Turns out, you can; those cinnamon rolls can be used to create a whole lot of shortcuts!

Despite their seemingly narrow purpose, canned cinnamon rolls are still made from yeast-risen bread dough making them useful for lots of bread-centric recipes. In most cases, you can easily substitute pre-prepared cinnamon roll dough for bread dough as long as you don’t mind the sweetness from the cinnamon-sugar filling.

More Kitchen Hacks

One of the easiest ways to reinvent the can of cinnamon roll dough is to use it to make a number of different desserts. The combination of cinnamon, sugar, and pre-prepared bread dough found in a can of store-bought cinnamon rolls makes bread pudding a breeze, for instance. And, for a unique twist on the cake, try baking cinnamon roll dough in a Bundt pan. You can also use cinnamon store-bought cinnamon rolls to make cake pops; follow the same method you would for regular cake pops but substitute cinnamon roll crumbs made in your food processor from baked cinnamon rolls.

Another easy shortcut using store-bought cinnamon roll dough is to use them in place of batters or breads. No need to whip up pancake or waffle batter when you have canned cinnamon roll dough on hand — their cinnamon swirl counterparts are only a few simple steps away.

French Toast
(Credit: Thinkstock)
Using sliced, baked cinnamon rolls in place of regular bread gives French toast extra flavor. Simply batter and fry the slices of cinnamon rolls as you would any other bread.

Kristie Collado is The Daily Meal’s Cook Editor. Follow her on Twitter @KColladoCook.

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Kristie graduated from the French Culinary Institute's pastry program in 2009 before working in NYC restaurant kitchens, including the famous 21 Club. Her love of food writing led her to later enroll in NYU's graduate Food Studies program where she completed her Master's Degree with a concentration in Food and Culture.